Liver and onion wagon falls into surging East River

(Crested Butte) Ed didn’t see it coming. That’s what he told police after crashing his infamous Ed’s Liver and Onion Wagon into the East River just south of here. According to his testimony on the scene Ed (no last name given) was driving his tri-axle food cart along Highway 135 at about 25 miles per hour when the accident occurred.

“The wagon hasn’t moved much faster ever since the emergency brake got stuck near Leadville in 1969,” said Ed. “Sure, I’ve got a 350 Chevy engine under the hood but that drag is persistent and I don’t want to put any more money into her.”

According to a police report Ed was doing fine, minding his own business until he came upon a speed limit sign, reading 40 miles per hour, just past Crested Butte South.

“When I noticed the sign I sped up to 40 so as to adhere to the law,” continued Ed. “It was then that I felt the rear end shift and all that liver moving around unchecked. In a matter of minutes I was off the road, down the embankment and into the river. The water was cold.”
Local health officials are testing the waters at present to determine if contamination has taken place.

“The high concentration of grease on that public nuisance wagon may cause some problems down river but at this time all the fish are present and accounted for,” said a source at Roaring Judy Hatchery, an alleged front for CIA operations in the valley. “Doesn’t Ed know that the speed limits aren’t to be taken literally and are up to the personal discretion of each driver?”

A dispatcher for the Highway Patrol told the Horseshoe that she had never heard of anyone speeding up to be in compliance with posted limits. She said Ed seemed disoriented when interviewed by officers but was in good shape otherwise following his dip.

“It’s the first real bath I’ve had since my wife ran off with a sausage man in 1990,” said Ed, who was the only eye witness to the mishap.
From first observation it appears that the cart, which was towed out of the river this afternoon, is a total loss.

“I was barely able to recover any of my provisions and I almost forfeited my Russian Wolfhound to that raging river,” said Ed, who claimed losses in the $400,000 range. “Right now I’m searching for another food cart or the summer will be a thing of the past.”

The water-logged cart, which had been registered in Utah, has been brought to the new Crested Butte Visitors’ Center where it will be on display until new furniture arrivesfrom Denver in August.

– Small Mouth Bess